This is dedicated to all human survival modes. Robust health is essential if we want to meet our goals in this life. It is never too late to be wise. It is never too early to revise.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Let's eat lots of fruits and

vegetables - at least five to nine servings each day.

Why?

A mountain of scientific research has made it very obvious and clear that eating lots of fruits and vegetables REDUCES THE RISK of heart disease and many types of cancers and may play a major role in fending off most diseases of aging, including diabetes and arthritis.

Survey results shown that less than 20 percent of us actually eat five servings of fruit and vegetables each day to stay healthy. And the inside scoop is that honest dietitians would like to recommend nine (9) or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily, but they know that people would find that goal impossible and perhaps give up trying at all.

How easy it would be to make ourselves healthier simply by eating more fruits and vegetables ! When people ate an additional one and one-half servings of fruits or vegetables every day for six(6) months, their high blood pressure dropped and the amounts of disease-fighting antioxidants in their blood increased. An extra none and one-half serving means about one salad, or an apple and a handful of raisins, or one large grapefruit, or a tall glass of fresh orange juice.

The Power of PhytochemicalsWhen the human body digests food, it breaks everything down into individual components.

All food is make up of three(3) basic substances known collectively as macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and protein. These nutrients supply the human body with the basic material needed to keep building, growing and repairing cells and to give us energy in the form of calories.

Food also contains smaller amounts of vitamins and minerals (such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium), which we also need to stay healthy. The nature produce also so wealthy to keep us healthy and wise too.

In additional, there is a more recently discovered class of compounds known as phytochemicals. Found only in plant foods, phytochemicals are powerful molecules that have been shown to reduce the risks of age-related diseases, including cancer.

These go by tongue-twister names such as :-1.sulphoraphane (pronounced "suhl-FOR-a-fane"), found in high quantities in broccoli, cauliflower, and other cruciferous vegetables like bok choy, cabbage brussels sprouts, kale, watercress;

2.B-cryptoxanthin ("beta-crip-toe-ZAN-thin"), found in some orange-colored fruits, such as mangoes, oranges, and papaya;

3.glycyrrhizin ("gly-SEER-rih-zin"), found in licorice root.

There are many more of these powerhouse chemicals yet to be discovered. Only a handful have been studied for their direct contributions to human health.

How powerful are phytochemicals?They can be valuable as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antiviral, and anticancer agents.

Drinking green tea, which contains high quantities of phytochemicals called flavonoids, can decrease the risk of stomach cancer by as much as 30 percent.